GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY
Previous to this attack on Essen, he took part in a low-level daylight attack on the submarine works at Danzig. Here again, despite very bad weather conditions, he successfully, and without any errors, brought his aircraft to the primary target where a low-level attack was carried out. His subsequent navigation back to base was compatible with the high standard he has always obtained.
This N.C.O’s morale is remarkably high, he sets an exceptionally fine example to his colleagues and is considered to be most highly deserving of an award.’
Reginald Waldemar Kleeman commenced his operational career as a Navigator in No. 83 Squadron in February 1942, a Manchester unit operating out of Scampton, Lincolnshire - thus a brace of operations in the same month, including a strike on Kiel, most probably with Pilot Officer J. E. “Jack” Partridge at the helm (afterwards a Squadron Leader with a D.S.O. and D.F.C. and Bar to his credit), for it was largely as member of the latter’s crew that he went on to complete around 50 operational sorties over the next 12 months.
The period March-May witnessed Kleeman being assigned to an assortment of French and German targets, while on the first day of June he participated in the “Thousand Bomber” raid on Essen. Shortly afterwards No. 83 converted to Lancasters, though not before completing two further strikes against Essen in the same month. Osnabruck having been attacked in the interim, Kleeman took part in his second “Thousand Bomber” raid, against Bremen, on the night of 24-25 June, and once more re-visited the same target on two occasions over the next few days, in addition to carrying out daring low-level daylight attacks on Danzig and Essen in July - the former occasion resulting in a large hole in the port plane caused by accurate flak, and the latter, as cited above, with the loss of two engines due to flak and a hair-raising 30 minute multi-night fighter encounter which resulted in Kleeman’s immediate D.F.M. July also saw him carry out sorties to Wilhelmshaven, Duisberg (twice) and, on the night of 26-27th, a raid on Hamburg, when Partridge piloted Q- Queenie - later to gain fame as one of Squadron’s longest served Lancasters - through heavy enemy flak: though badly holed in the port wing, pilot and Navigator nursed their damaged Lancaster home.
Moving to Wyton in Huntingdonshire in August, as part of the newly established Path Finder Force, No. 83 Squadron maintained its busy operational agenda against Germany, the remainder of 1942 seeing Kleeman participate in strikes against such targets as Bremen (his fourth visit), Duisberg (twice), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt (thrice), Munich, Nurnburg and Stuttgart - the latter attack witnessing the ‘extreme determination’ of the Bomb Aimer, who ordered five runs over the target to ensure accuracy. The New Year having then commenced with two sorties against Berlin, Kleeman ended his operational tour in February, after six further sorties, including Cologne, and as a newly commissioned Pilot Officer. He was awarded the D.F.C. and posted to R.A.F. Uxbridge.
Sold with the recipient’s original Buckingham Palace D.F.C. investiture letter, dated 30 April 1945, together with “Bomber” Harris congratulatory postagram for the award of his D.F.M., a letter from the Adjutant of No. 83 Squadron confirming Kleeman’s advancement to Warrant Officer, dated 1 October 1942, and a quantity of research.
951
An unusual Second World War A.F.C. group of six awarded to Wing Commander F. W. Dewell, Royal Air Force, a long-served “V.I.P. Flight” pilot who passengers included Churchill and Mountbatten
AIR FORCECROSS,
G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1945’; GENERAL SERVICE 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (562062 Sgt. F. W. Dewell, R.A.F.); 1939-45 STAR; DEFENCE ANDWARMEDALS 1939-45; ROYAL AIR FORCE L.S. & G.C.,
G.VI.R., 1st issue (Act. Sqn. Ldr. F. W. Dewell, R.A.F.), together with a set of related dress miniature medals, mounted as worn, generally good very fine (12)
£1800-2200 A.F.C. London Gazette 14 June 1945. The original recommendation states:
‘Flight Lieutenant Dewell has completed 600 hours flying as a Captain of Aircraft with this Squadron. Most of this has entailed the carrying of very important passengers to far distant theatres of war, including special flights to Moscow in connection with the Prime Minister’s visit. During the past few months he has operated routine transport flights in all types of weather by day and night, enabling the Squadron to ensure a regular schedule routine. Flight Lieutenant Dewell has long experience of the Service, dating from 1928 when he entered as an Aircraft Apprentice. This, coupled with his undoubted ability, enabled him to set a fine example of leadership to all members of the Squadron.’
Frank William Dewell, who was born in January 1912, enlisted in the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Apprentice in 1928, and was selected for pilot training in 1935. Duly qualifying for his “Wings” with an exceptional rating in April 1936, he was posted to No. 216 Squadron, known as the “Bomber-Transport Squadron”, then flying Victoria and Vickers Valentia aircraft. Thus ensued plenty of passenger carrying flights, taking him to Cyprus, East Africa, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Sinai, the Sudan and Trans-Jordan.
Commissioned in April 1940, Dewell joined No. 511 Squadron in April 1944, and is believed to have flown the Prime Minister in the unit’s Yorks to assorted conferences on several occasions, including the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Absolutely certain is the fact he flew the Mountbattens out to India in March 1947, in addition to Sir William Strang to Moscow in the same month, having by then transferred to No. 24 Squadron. Advanced to Wing Commander in July 1958, Dewell was finally placed on the Retired List in January 1965
Sold with one or two original but fire damaged pages from his flying log book, together with a letter-head from The Viceroy’s House, New Delhi, with opening lines from Mountbatten regarding his flight to India from Northolt in March 1947, and a file of research, including O.R.B. entries and copied photographs.
www.dnw.co.uk
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